Hand printer



June 4-, 1957 JOHNSQN 2,794,394

HAND PRINTER Filed April 20, 1954 F re d L Johnson In EN TOR.

United States Patent HAND PRINTER Fred L. Johnson, Omaha, Nebr.

Application April 20, 1954, Serial No. 424,393

Claims. (Cl. 101-375) This invention relates to a hand printer, and moreparticularly to an improvement in the class of printing stamps adaptedto mark any suitable surface with an imprint by means of raised letters.

An object of this invention is to provide a hand printer having aplurality of dies mounted thereon which can be selectively engaged witha surface for marking the same.

Another object of this invention is to provide a hand printer havingmeans thereon indicating the marking of the printing dies.

A further object of this invention is to provide a hand printer whereinthe printing dies are positioned thereon so as to be out of contact withthe surface upon which the device is resting and which can come incontact with the surface merely by rocking the hand printer.

A further object of this invention is to provide a hand printer having ahandle mounted thereon in spaced relation to the base thereof so as toreceive a stamp pad therebetween.

A yet further object of this invention is to provide a hand printer andstamp pad combination wherein the stamp pad will be retained in positionon the hand printer only when inserted in an upright position.

Another object of this invention is to provide a hand printer which issimple and eflicient in construction, and durable and lasting in use.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of the hand printer showing the stamp padin position thereon and with one of the dies being in operativeposition;

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the hand printer forming the subjectof this invention;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the hand printer forming thesubject of this invention with the stamp pad positioned therein; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the hand printer forming the subjectof this invention with the other printing die shown in operativeposition.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, it will beseen that the improved hand printer forming the subject of thisinvention includes a longitudinally bowed or curved base having a fiathandle portion 12 spanning the concave side and joining the oppositeends thereof. The base 10 and the handle 12 are preferably formed of atransparent material for a purpose to be later described.

The handle 12 is secured to the base 10 in any suitable manner and ispreferably of a resilient material. Further, the opposite sides of thehandle portion 12 are relieved and thus provided with cut-out portions14. The ends of these cut-out portions 14 are rounded, as at 16.

ice j The purpose of the rounding of the ends of the cut-out' portions14 is. such that when it is desired to use the device for printingpurposes, the thumb is placed in one of the cut-out portions 14 andresting against the curved portion, and the second finger is placed inthe other cutout portion 14 in engagement with the rounded portion 16and the index finger is poised in a hold-down position on the top of thehandle portion.

, Secured to the lower face of the base 10 and extending downwardlytherefrom are a pair of printing dies 18. These printing dies may haveany suitable raised lettering 20 disposed thereon. When the hand printeris at rest in a normal position, the center point of the curved base 10rests on the surfaceand the printing dies 18 are spaced thereabove so asnot to leave an imprint on the surface. When it is desired to print withthe device, the hand printer is grasped, as above described, and isrolled or rocked in the direction of the desired printing die. This willleave the desired imprint on the surface.

Suitable indicia 22 are provided at opposite ends of the handle portion12 to indicate the markings on the associated printing dies. Further,suitable indicia 24 may be provided on the center portion of the handle12 for advertising purposes.

By forming the base 10 and handle 12 of transparent material, it will beseen that it is possible to properly position the hand printer forleaving an imprint in a desired position. Further, the use of a coloredtransparent plastic will provide an attractive desk accessory.

The space between the curved base 10 and the handle portion 12 forms aconvenient receptacle for an inking stamp pad. This stamp pad comprisesa base 26 having a cover formed of a top member 28 and depending marginal walls 30 secured thereto by means of a hinge 32. The junction ofthe marginal Wall 30 to the top member 28 is tapered, as at 34. Thus, itwill be seen that when the stamp pad is placed in the opening betweenthe base 10 and the handle 12, the same will be frictionally retainedtherein due to the resilience of the handle 12. This will be true onlyif the stamp pad is placed in the opening in an upright position. In theevent that the stamp pad is placed in the opening in an invertedposition, the same will not be frictionally retained therein due to thefact that the tapering of the junction of the side walls 30 of the topmember 28 will conform to the contour of the base member 10 whereby thebottom member 26 will be spaced from the handle 12. This will allow thestamp pad to freely pass through the opening between the handle 12 andthe base 10.

A number of features and advantages attend this im vention. That is tosay, I desire to stress the longitudinally bowed or curved base in thatit functions as a rocker being so designed that the bottom acts as astand for the two printing dies, thus preventing the ink on the diesfrom marking anything that the device rests on. The distance between theconcave top or central portion and the handle is such, as before stated,that an ink pad of type shown may be handily and snugly fitted in thisavailable space, thus enabling one to keep the device and pad assembledand in readiness for use. The markings on the end portions function toreadily identify which end of the hand printer to rise, according to theimprint desired. The best feature of this phase of the invention is theprovisions made on available surfaces for permanent ads. It is alsobelieved that this hand printer has as many other applications andadvertising promises as. any similarly constructed and functioningdevice.

The selection of transparent color plastics permits oneto see throughthe material to determine alignment and placement of the printing dieswhere the imprint should appear. The shape of the top or handle is sodesigned. as to make rolling orrocker action handy with equalized:

Patented June 4, 1957.

pressure and to avoid sm'ea ng. That is to say, the

special notches 1414 and "end abutm'ents 16 1'6"may up, with minimumeffort, bank deposits by mail; making checks less negotiable by'immediate and protective "endorsement, proper addressingof depositslips, po'sitive 'receipts and return address on the envelopes.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will bereadily understood and further explanation is believed to beunnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction shown and described, andaccordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resortedto, falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A hand printer comprising a longitudinally bowed concave-convex base,a handle spanning the concave side and having its ends secured to thefree ends of said base, and printing dies mounted on the convex side ofsaid base and extending downwardly therefrom, said printing dies beingdisposed adjacent the free ends only of said base, that portion of theconvex side between said dies being smooth and free of obstructions tofacilitate rocking.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 and the combination therewith ofdescriptive indicia at the respective transverse end portions of saidhandle corresponding to the complemental and respective printing diesand in general useful alignment with the dies to assist the user inselecting the desired die without having to turn the device upside downfor checking purposes.

3. A hand printer comprising a longitudinally bowed concavo-convex base,a handle spanning the concave side and having its ends secured to thefree ends of said base, and printing dies mounted on the convex side ofsaid base and extending downwardly therefrom, said printing dies beingdisposed adjacent the free ends only of said base, that portion of theconvex side between said dies 4 being smooth and free of obstructions tofacilitate rocking, the curvature of the convex side of said base'beingof a degree that when the central areal portion of the base is atrest on a support surface and the device is not in use, the respectiveend portions carrying the stated dies are elevated to a plane well abovethe support surface to prevent contact with the surface or possiblemarring of any work items that may be on said surface.

4. The structure defined in claim 3 and wherein said handle is ofresilient material so that it may be utilized to advantage in aptly andsatisfactorily positioning and retaining a stamp pad in a handyout-of-the-way position in the space between the concave side of thebase and the underneath side of the handle.

5. A hand printer comprising a longitudinally bowed concavo-convex base,a handle spanning the concave side and having its ends secured to thefree ends of said base, and printing dies mounted on the convex side ofsaid base and extending downwardly therefrom, said printing dies beingdisposed adjacent the free ends only of said base, that portion of theconvex side between said dies being smooth and free of obstructions tofacilitate rocking, said handle and base being formed of transparentcommercial plastics, whereby to assist a user'in spotting and quicklylocating and positioning the dies in respect to a selected spot on asheet of paper or the like where the intended impression is to be made.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS671,648 Johnson Apr. 9, 1901 1,078,854 Higginbotham .Nov. 18, 19131,249,417 Kennedy et a1. Dec. 11, 1917 1,377,941 Thomas May 10, 19211,519,481 Bing Dec. 16, 1924 1,576,778 Morton" Mar, 16, 1926 2,089,549Grant Aug; 10,. 1937 2,186,144 Payne Jan. 9, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS632,550 Great Britain Nov. 28, 1949

